Dare Babalola
Operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), with the assistance of passersby, rescued a commercial motorcyclist and his passenger after a serious road accident on the Iyana-Iba Flyover inward Volkswagen along the Badagry Expressway.
The incident, which involved a commercial motorcycle and two private vehicles, occurred when the driver of a Lexus saloon car with registration number SMK 504 KH allegedly rammed into the motorcycle while using the restricted flyover route.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, the crash happened in violation of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018, which prohibits commercial motorcycles from operating on designated highways and flyovers.
The statement said the force of the impact pushed the motorcycle into a Toyota Corolla with registration number KTU 308 HN, resulting in a multiple-vehicle collision.
“As a consequence of the violent collision, the commercial motorcyclist and his passenger sustained severe injuries, including multiple fractures to their legs and other traumatic bodily wounds,” the statement said.
LASTMA officials stationed around the Iyana-Iba axis were said to have responded immediately by securing the accident scene to prevent further crashes and ease traffic movement along the busy flyover.
The injured victims were subsequently evacuated for urgent treatment.
In what officials described as a commendable show of compassion, passersby and the drivers of the two vehicles involved joined rescue efforts and transported the injured victims to Oyems Hospital in Iyana-Iba, where they are receiving treatment.
Reacting to the incident, LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, sympathised with the victims and wished them speedy recovery.
He also reiterated the state government’s ban on commercial motorcycles operating on restricted routes, especially highways and flyovers.
“Continuous violations by recalcitrant operators pose serious threats to public safety and orderly transportation within the state,” Bakare-Oki said.
He urged commercial motorcycle operators to desist from using prohibited routes and comply strictly with traffic regulations designed to safeguard lives and property across Lagos State.
